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Edmontosaurus annectens
Coloration: Male – Brown body and pale underbelly, with intermediate purple blotching on its snout. During the breeding season, the male's snout turns a deep red. Female – Like the male, only lacking in the purple blotching. Juvenile (both sexes) – Very light brown that gets darker through to adulthood. Diet: Plants. Edmontosaurus will grab large mouthfuls of multiple types of plant life with its wide beak to be chewed to a pulp with its batteries of grinding teeth. Preferred Habitat: Open spaces broken by brush. Social Structure: Edmontosaurus is almost always seen in large herds and is rarely seen alone. There is usually no clear leader as they stick together and move in accordance to common instincts, however it is only natural that the larger individuals dominate over the smaller ones. Edmontosaurus may form mixed herds with Corythosaurus and Parasaurolophus. Description: Large, heavy bodied, quadrupedal herbivore. Edmontosaurus is the largest species of hadrosaur on Isla Sorna. Unlike Parasaurolophus and Corythosaurus, Edmontosaurus does not have a crest. Instead it amplifies its calls with inflatable sacs on its snout region. Like its relatives, Edmontosaurus is capable of walking on all fours and running on its hind legs. Behaviors: Edmontosaurus is a naturally peaceful animal, and while seemingly defenseless, its large size means that even a single adult is capable of trampling to death smaller predators such as Velociraptor. When they stampede en masse, even a Tyrannosaur would be wise to get out of their way. Being the principle prey of large, big-game hunters such as Tyrannosaurus, Edmontosaurus senses are very sharp, and they are constantly on the alert for danger. Edmontosaurus prefers to flee as its primary defense, running up to 35 mph on its hind legs. However, if cornered it will attempt to fight back by swiping with its thick tail, biting with its beak, or rising up on its hind legs to try and pound the threat to the ground. During the breeding season, Edmontosaurus males put on a very unique show for the females. Unusually, the male Edmontosaurus form alliances with other males to form courtship displays. Bands of males ranging from 2 to 5 will move to the outer edges of the main herd and perform a synchronized ‘dance’ - alternating between standing on their hind legs and all fours, strutting, swaying their tails, amplifying the sacs on their snouts and emitting loud, drawn-out honks. The largest, strongest bull is considered the ringleader of his band and he alone will mate with any female drawn to the display. The smaller males in the band will not mate with any of the females unless tragedy befalls the ringleader – at which point the next biggest male takes on his position. Fights between Edmontosaurus males are rare, as they tend to be careful enough to organize themselves into bands in which there is only one bull who is stronger than the rest. Attentive parents, Edmontosaurus nest in colonies, often alongside Parasaurolophus and Corythosaurus. The nests at the center of the colony are usually the better protected, while the nests on the outside are prone to being raided by egg thieves. In order to try and combat this, the hadrosaurs also build several unprotected "dummy" nests in which they lay several unfertilized eggs. These nests are usually situated quite far away from the main nests and provide some distraction to egg-thieves, allowing the hadrosaurs to tend to their own young without being constantly pestered. The hadrosaur nest itself is an open-topped mound constructed from mud, covered with leaves and foliage. The females never leave their nests, and therefore rely on the males to bring them a constant supply of food. A single male may have sired many eggs from different nests, and it is the duty of all the males to provide food and nesting materials to any female in need. When the eggs hatch, the males are also responsible for bringing chewed-up plant material to feed the young. Owing to the hadrosaurs’ dedication to their offspring, it is virtually impossible to separate a mother from its nest. Small nest-raiders are shooed away by a bellow or a warning snap of the beak, but even when faced with a larger predator, the females are still unlikely to budge from their nests. Usually the males will provide the distraction, forming a wall of bodies and sound in order to try and intimidate the predator. The powerfully-muscled tail of a full-grown Edmontosaurus is a formidable weapon against medium-sized predators, strong enough to stagger even an Allosaurus-sized animal and kill most smaller creatures. In the event a nesting female is killed, a male may take up the role of guarding the orphaned nestlings, regardless as to whether he is the father or not. After leaving the nest, juvenile hadrosaurs are quickly able to travel with the rest of the herd. They are dissuaded from wandering too far from the safety of the herd by the adults, who call out frequently to keep the young together. Even in a large family herd, the young can recognize their own parents by the pitch of their calls, and vice versa. Juveniles whose mothers have died still have a good chance of survival, for as long as they can move about with the herd they are kept safe and protected by all of the adults. Despite its lack of an impressive crest akin to its relatives, Edmontosaurus is nonetheless just as vocal, producing loud, nasal bellows used both for communication, keeping the herd together, and to warn others of approaching danger.